M.A.S.K. Episode 38: Curse of Solomon's Gorge

Our next episode to go under the microscope on MASKast will be #38 "Curse of Solomon's Gorge." This time we'll be traveling to Africa to explore some mysterious circumstances surrounding an archaeologocial project funded by Matt Trakker. V.E.N.O.M. uses a treasure map to find a lost Egyptian treasure while Scott and T-Bob find themselves in trouble yet again. The M.A.S.K. team is called in to battle V.E.N.O.M. and rescue the duo. Here are the episode stats...

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About Jason GrossJason Gross is an '80s kid trapped in a 40-year old body and has loved M.A.S.K. from the very beginning. He also contributes his retro pop culture knowledge to the Rediscoverthe80s.com website.

Wyatt Bloom is a lifelong M.A.S.K. fan as well as several other '80s properties including Knight Rider, Dukes of Hazzard, Airwolf, and Voltron. He also enjoys creating sound systems and the occasional deejay gig.

Besides the AOM website, Jason and Wyatt are lifelong friends who have also collaborated on a M.A.S.K. screenplay and cohost the MASKast podcast. They were also privileged to particpate in a M.A.S.K. 30th Anniversary panel with voice actor Doug Stone at Retro Con in 2015.

2 comments:

Wow, what can I say about this episode. I sure hope no one takes anything presented in this episode as historical fact, because it's nothing but nonsense. Solomon was a king of Israel, not Egypt, and there would have been no reason for the Egyptians to have helped Solomon hide his treasure. As for the episode itself, well, there are just so many things wrong with it. Matt Trakker should be nominated for the worst father of the year award in this one. He basically just abandons Scott in the middle of nowhere while he and Alex investigate the gorge. Once again, T-Bob's human characteristics are completely ridiculous and utterly irritating and VENOM doesn't even show up until the episode is halfway over! I did like the animation, especially when you can faintly see Mayhem's face through his mask. The Mayhem/Trakker confrontation was great too, and they really need more mask battles in a show called MASK! Still, this episode should've been called the Scott and T-Bob show.

This is a good episode but, as mentioned by Eric, Scott and T-Bob feature quite heavily - that's never it good sign. It means we won't see much M.A.S.K. v's V.E.N.O.M. action.

The animation throughout is extremely good. When we first see Matt, Alex, Scott and T-Bob, they are in Thunderhawk driving with a brace of Rhino. It would've been nice if they had been in Rhino instead – could've made some reference to it.

As we get into the story, Scott and T-Bob come across a piece of cable – I'm not sure how Matt Trakker would know who manufactures V.E.N.O.M.'s brake parts – would Master Mechanic Buddie Hawks even know this information? If the “Origin Story” from the Comics was correct, then perhaps.

As per usual, Sly Rax back chats Miles Mayhem when he is given an command.

Then we see T-Bob flying courtesy of a booster in his butt. When did he get that fitted and why has it never been used before?

The highlight of the episode for me is when Cliff Dagger in Jackhammer makes is initial attack on our M.A.S.K. team. He drives Jackhammer through the stream. It only lasts a few seconds, but this scene is well done – the animation and the way that Jackhammer moves is great.

But about a minute later confusion happens. When Dagger initially engages Thunderhawk, he is in the gorge. When the M.A.S.K. Transport Plane lands, it is above the gorge. Immediately, we see Shark engaging Jackhammer, with the Transport taking off in the background. How did Dagger manage to get up there so quickly?

Then, somehow, Dagger is back down in the gorge again – stuck in mud!

Again, I agree with Eric on how great it is to see Mayhem through Viper's Visor and how can a Robot Sneeze?

Where I wouldn't agree with Eric is on the premise of the story. Yes, Solomon was king of Israel, but there were many links to Egypt. In fact, Solomon married the daughter of a Pharoh. There is speculation over the missing Tribes who may have ended up in Egypt – and further afield.

It is, therefore conceivable, that remnants of Solomon's Treasure may have made their way to Egypt and then further down to Nairobi.